PRESENTED  BY:

ROXANN GRIFFITH

Department of Labor  Apprenticeships, Veteran 

Programs

Department of Labor (DOL)Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) 

VETERANS.GOV

Collision Industry ConferenceHiring and Retaining the Veteran Workforce 

July 2019

Agenda

• Veteran Demographics and Trends

• Why hire Veterans?

• What’s in it for you? Return on Investment

• Where do you find Veterans?

• Partners in the space

• Myths and Truths

DOL VETS Enduring Missions

We prepare America’s Veterans, transitioning service members, and their spouses for meaningful careers;

We provide them with employment resources and expertise;

We protect their employment rights; and

We promote their employment opportunities.

“DOL and DOL VETS programs served over 565,000 Veterans, National Guard and Reservists last year” 

The Veteran Landscape

● 64 is the median age of a Veteran (Men=65, Women=50) ● 18.2M Veterans in the United States (5.6% of US population)● 9.4M Veterans are in the workforce (less than 6% of total workforce‐ first time since before WWII) ● 1.9M Veterans are women

○ 14% of current service members are women● 180‐200K transitioning service members a year● Declining unemployment rateso Veteran unemployment rates continue to trend lower than non‐Veteranso ~326K Veterans are unemployedo 60% of unemployed Veterans are 45 years or oldero 6% of unemployed Veterans are under 25 years old

* Based on 2018 BLS Data

Unemployment rates continue to trend down ‐for Veterans and non‐Veterans

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Unemployment rate (percent)

Gulf War-era II Veterans

Veterans

NOTE: The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percent of the labor force. SOURCE:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages 2006‐2018

Non-Veterans

3.8%

3.5%

Military Stats that matter

Army – 562KNavy – 330KMarines – 203kAir Force – 330KCoast Guard – 41K

Total Active Duty – 1.47 MillionGuard & Reserves – 800K

Total currently in uniform 2.27 Million

Relative to the current 

population of the United States; only .672% are 

serving!

LESS THAN 1% OF AMERICANS SERVE!!!

As of July 2018, here is the breakdown of the military relative to the population of the US (327.2 Million)

Veteran Demographics – Veteran as Percentage of Population and Labor Force are Declining

In 2015  over 20 M veterans in the US,  currently approx. 18.2 M veterans nationwide.

Source: US Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; data series January 2007 through Feb 2019

Three Large Manpower Pipelines

Guard and Reserve Member Pipeline Annual Amount: approximately 165,000 of 823,900 Guard and Reserve turn

over each year Best Recruitment Strategy: Connect with local Guard units, which are State

based

Veteran Pipeline, American Job Center Network (AJC) Annual Amount: served over 565,000 veterans last year Best Recruitment Strategy: 1. Connect with local American Job Center (AJC)

and create registered apprenticeships 2. Get GI Bill certified and leverage that as a recruiting tool

Transitioning Service Member Pipeline Annual Amount: served over 154,000 last year Best Recruitment Strategy: Leverage DOD SkillBridge and attend hiring

events

Why Hire Veterans, Guardsman or Reservists

Service Members and Veterans provide US employers with a predictable manpower pool of unprecedented quality & talent that also live and understand US values

Unprecedented Quality Less than 3 out of 10 Americans between the ages of 17-24 are eligible to serve

(Military competes with colleges and universities for the same talent) Services collectively spend billions annually to support recruitment and retention efforts US tax payers (individuals and employers) fund annual recurring recruitment efforts

Unprecedented Talent Services collectively spend billions on training (initial skills, advanced skills and leader training) Many have been deployed overseas in extremely demanding and complex environments US tax payers (individuals and employers) also fund annual recurring training efforts

Values Based Service values are US values US Air Force Values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence in all We Do

Savvy US employers can leverage this manpower pool to gain a competitive advantage

Finding and Hiring Veterans 

The key to success is building and leveraging a network of no-cost resources:

• Review our Employer Guide (Veterans.gov)

• Highlights State Workforce Agencies American Job Centers / Career One Stops

• Served 565,000 Veterans in 2018 State Job Banks /National Labor Exchange

• Highlights Federal Resources Marine For Life, Soldier For Life, Citizen Soldier

for Life, National Guard Bureau

• Highlights Veteran Service Organizations

• US Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes Events

Bottom line

Unemployment Rates!

Nationally, for ALLjob seekers we are at: 

As of April 2019, the Veteran

Unemployment rate sits at 2.3%

3.3%

What's in it for me?

VETERANS.GOV

What’s in it for your organization?

• Compliance: Office of Federal  Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

• Retention: • Fact: Most veterans transition 3 times after the leaving the military before they 

find their niche.  However, veterans who transition into an organization with a veteran culture, usually make that their next and only career before civilian retirement.

• Fact: The retention rate for Veterans is higher in organizations with a DOL Registered Apprenticeship Program. 

• Fact: Veterans will stay in organizations that provide training opportunities, information on tools for success, proven growth potential and realistic/competitive pay. 

• Fact: Veterans are more apt to look at companies that showcase their Military Friendly side publicly .  (Attending job fairs, and hiring events, have a web page dedicated to veteran hiring, has a program for military spouses, are present in the community)

What’s in it for your organization?

• Recognition:

• American Legion• Disabled Veterans of America• Veterans of Foreign Wars• Department of Labor’s Medallion

• Criteria:• 10% Veterans on staff • X% Veterans hired last fiscal year• X% Veterans retained last fiscal year• Organization presence in the veteran employment space• Organization presence among veterans in the community

• Not all awards have this criteria. Criteria is subject to change. Please work with the local workforce staff on receiving information on nomination requirements or check out the award website for more information.

• Veterans: • Identifies a proven “Veteran ready” employer• Facilitates a more focused employment search 

• Employers:• Only  Veteran hiring award at the federal level• Distinguishes local effort on a national basis• Assists in recruitment and advertising effort • Certificate/Award from the Secretary of Labor• Rights to a “digital” Medallion with year of award to use

• Could mean recognition over competitors• Published list of award recipients

• +630K Veterans served by DOL / ~155K TSMs (2018)

Value Proposition / ROI

Additional Programs that benefit the Employer

VETERANS.GOV

Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program

Employer Driven

Structured On‐the‐Job Learning

Related Technical Instruction

Rewards for Skill Gains

National Occupational Credential

Five Core Components of Registered Apprenticeship

Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship ProgramBenefits to Companies:

• Receive consulting services from DOL in the design, development, and structure of their Registered Apprenticeship program

• By partnering with DOL, it will bring a level of credibility to their training program by meeting approved standards 

• Upon completion of the program, the apprentice will earn a nationally recognized credential.  This credential be used as a recruiting tool to attract prospective applicants

• The company will attract veterans and those transitioning out of the servicesince they will be able to utilize GI Bill benefits (not take on educational debt)

• Career Skills Program/Skill Bridge (military pays transitioning service member’s salary while in pre‐apprenticeship training program) 

• Increased employee retention / reduce turnover costs• Creates a system where employers can track return on investment of training 

dollars invested

Expansion of DOL RA to Major Businesses shows growth in recruitment and retention

$28In benefits for every $1 invested by the

Government.$1.47

ReturnFor Every Dollar Spent on Apprenticeship By

Employers

$300,000+Apprentices Lifetime Earning Advantage

$60,000Completers Earn

Per Year On Average

Impressive Individual – Business – Public Benefits

97%Average

Completion rate

94%Average Retention

rate

$1 to $10Every $1 Invested By

Government Leverages $10 Private Sector

Investment

Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Program

Department of Veteran's Affairs GI Bill Certified Employer

Allows the Veteran to collect GI Bill Benefits while training under the apprenticeship program.

Pays out the equivalent of an E‐5 housing allowance based on the zip code of the training.

Registered Apprenticeship Program is accepted by VA Education Department and allows for faster processing of GI Bill paperwork.

Attractive to veterans who don’t want to go back to school but want to use their GI Bill benefits.

GI Bill benefits decreases as salary increases. Employer agreement with Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

Department of Defense Career Skills Program

• Prior to leaving military service• Allows the Transitioning Service Member (TSM) to receive valuable training prior to leaving military service.

• Happens in the last 6 months before separation/ retirement.

• Permissive TDY allows TSM to travel to training location.

• After separation/retirement TSM can use their last move to relocate to the area of the job.

• Career Skills Program is an agreement between the employer and Department of Defense.

DOD SkillBridge

DoD can use the SkillBridge program to connect to DOL programs already in place and funded to facilitate Transitioning Service Members’ success.

Through DoD SkillBridge, tremendous potential exists for service members, companies, trade unions, and others to leverage this talent pipeline to meet state, regional, and industry workforce needs.

Licensing and Certifications

The opportunities for service members to translate their experience and skills into civilian employment has never been better! 

Service members are trained in hundreds of occupations with relevance to civilian employment opportunities There are few nationally recognized licenses and certifications  DOL is working with DOD and the states as they develop their licensing and certification programs Counselors at the American Job Centers can help veterans navigate through the Licensing and Certification process

Attracting the Veteran

VETERANS.GOV

Bombs on target

Making your company appear veteran friendly… 

• Speak their language: Core values, Mission oriented 

• Suggest translatable jobs 

• Include job titles, MOS codes, Ranks or grades that are familiar and equivalent

• To attract veterans, make the face of your company, a veteran.

• Veterans know other veterans. Put the employees in your organization to work. 

• Create an Employee Referral Program.

• Transition from a Veteran Friendly Culture to a VETERAN READY CULTURE.   (Veteran Initiatives, Veteran Employee Resource Groups/Affinity Groups, Veteran Mentorship Program)

Speaking Military

• Build a military translator into your careers pageGreat examples: Walmart, Boeing, etc…

• Use an already established Military TranslatorONETOnline.org (Military Crosswalk)

• Military Recruiting Team or Military HR Generalist

• DOL Training  for C‐Suite to Recruitment team

• Look at EVERY Veteran resume 

• Have a Veteran filter in your Applicant Tracking System

• Create a pipeline for veteran talent

• Call the Veteran…

Googles initiative to (1) recognize veteran owned business in “google search”, and (2), a veteran job / MOS match search 

capability. 

Take Away

Using the services provided by DOL VETS and our partners you can expect to:

1) Pursue solutions to attract more veterans to your organization.

2) Offer new services and raising the collective intellectual level of the business all while exceeding expectations and out-doing your competition.

3) Utilize the resources available to you for FREE to improve your current infrastructure and build a better future for generations to come.

4) Attract veterans to your industry, build partnerships across industries and create opportunities for training individuals in transferable skillsets; setting them up for immediate success an longevity within your organization upon completion.

5) Create by-in of the a newer, more adaptable culture with a workforce driven focus and higher retention rates.

6) Create opportunities for growth in local economy surrounding your institution.

WWW.VETERANS.GOVWWW.HIREVETS.GOVWWW.DOL.GOVWWW.ONETONLINE.COMWWW.CAREERONESTOP.COMWWW.AMERICASHEROESATWORK.COMWWW.TRACER2.COM

Veterans in Texas: A Demographic Study (2016):https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/twic/Veterans_in_Texas_2016_Update.PDFhttps://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/twic/VeteransUpdate_Summary.pdf

Institute for Veterans and Military Families: https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/

Resources

Thank You for Your Time Today.

Let’s Continue to Work towards the same End GOAL --- Veteran

Employment!

Roxann GriffithRegional Veterans’ Employment Coordinator – Office of Strategic Outreach

Department of Labor | Veterans’ Employment and Training ServicesGriffith.Roxann.S@dol.gov | www.veterans.gov